Apparatus for composite cinematography



' A 1,613 201 4 1927' E. SCHUFFTAN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSITE GINEMATOGRAPHY Filed July 6. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l Tig. Z-

W fir-125525 I E gnqenfur UGEN CHUFFTAN BY W h I A ATTORNEYS 4- 1921. 1 Jan 4 E. SCHUFFTAN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSITE. CINEMATOGRAPHY Filed July 6. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ira/q 11a 1* EUGEN SC/(UFFMN Wi Inesses A TTORNE s Jan. 4 1927.

E. SCHUFFTAN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSITE CINEMAT OGRAPHY r .M n M I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 6 1925 WiInesses EUGE/V ScHJFFrA/v ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH scnttnraiw, or nmm-wrrmsnonn, emiuamr.

APPARATUS FOR COMPOSITE CINEMATOGBAPHY.

Application filed Iu1y 6. 1925, Serial No. 41,852,1andin Gcnnany K1179, 1983.

At cinematographic takings at which arately positioned. scenery parts or a plurality-of sceneries are to be united to one.

scenery or total picture it has hitherto only been possible to effect the taking with one apparatuson a film tape. It is frequently however required to makecfrom a'total scenery at least twocompletely identical takings and thatsimultaneously. To this end two.

apparatuses were positioned side b side which resulted however in different pictures on account of the parallax of both apparatuses. This disadvantage becomes disagreeably apparent particularly if the two pictures are subsequentlyto be united, and if it is necessary to produce silhouettes, full tone lights as well as half tone lights as photographs of actors alid .when SllCliPllOilO graphs must be exactly interfitted into each other. In order to overcome these disadvantages this present invention provides that the two apparatusesare setat an angle and 'a semi-permeable mlrror is arranged at the.

section of the center lines of the two apparatuses so that the one apparatus takes the mirage, the other apparatus the throughsight through the mirror.

Itis. further necessary for the takings of different objects to separately take the 0bject parts with two apparatuses or objectives which must,re'sult in the production of picturally interfitting takings. At combined takings it is further frequentl necessary to use for each scene an objective of special if the individual scenes must be positione tances from the apparatuses, so for example if men of normal size are to act in: unisonas giants and dwarfs, whereas the background must have the same scale throughout.

By my present invention the possibility is provided to make cinematographic \takings of twoscenes of the same or of different size with the use of two taking apparatuses or objectives of the same or different focus;

In the drawing in which I have more or less diagrammatically illustrated. difi'erent embodiments of the invention-v Fig. 1 is the diagram of an arrangement for taking with two apparatuses while avoiding paralla x 4 Fig. 2 is the diagram of a further arrangement for the simultaneous takingoftwo scenery parts by means tuses, I

Fig. 3 the diagram of a still further arof two apparaat different disrangement at which the taking apparatuses are united into oneapparatus,I

Fig.2,

Fig. 5 is the plan view of a device 105 moving the masks simultaneously and in the' of the masks air-i same directions,

Figs. 6 and 7. are views ranged in front of and behind the mirror,

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatical perspective view of the film guiding means in ani'apparatus, Fig. 9 is a section to a self-Eontained taking apparatus according to Fig. 2 in which a film can be exposed from two sides.

According to Fi 1 separate but exactly identical or interiitting takings. are made from one object 7 O by means of the two apparatuses 71 and 7 2. To this end I arrange in the intersecting point of the two center lines 73 and 74 of the angularly adjusted apparatuses 71 and 72 a semi-transparent mirror 75 behind-which a black non actinic mask 76 is positioned opposite the a p'aratus 71. The apparatus 71 is thusta ng the mirage and apparatus 72 taking the throughsight through the mirror 75 It is not necessary that the mirror be arranged in the Section point-of the straight center lines coming from the apparatuses, the center lines can also once more be deflected b special mirrors as this will be explaine later on. i is According to Fig. 2 'two apparatus 3 and 4 are used for the taking of the scenes 1 and 2. Each of these a paratuses is separately workin for itsel and 'is in certain instances wit I advantage synchronously actuated with the other apparatus by means of a flexible shaft or the like throu h the handle 5 of the one apparatus 3. T e apparatuses are carried on standards 6 or other suitably constructed bases as this is known in the art. The center lines of the ap aratuses 3 and4 are crossing each other an a semi-permeable mirror 7 is arranged at the crossing or intersecting point. The apparatuses 3 and 4 must in any event be so ositionedto the mirror 7 that they can themselves. not reflect in the mirror. It is then not necessary to adjust the a aratuses in one definite angular relations 1p, only the above mentioned condition must be complied with. By having the mirror 7 arranged in the section point of the two center lines of the apparatuses 3 and 4 each apparatus gets the same picture window at the mirror plane. The mirror surface is thus at the intersection of the connecting lines of the lens centers of the two objectives 8 and 9 of the apparatuses 3 and 4 which must at this embodiment have the same focus in order to produce the same picture. The picture portion of one scene which is photographed by reflection through the apparatus 3 is directly photographed by the other apparatus'through the sight window of the semi-transparent mirror 7 or inversely, as this will be readily understood. On account of the angular adjustment of the apparatuses 3 and 4 the picture of the one apparatus will appear to that of the other apparatus in side inversion, wherefore the film tape must in the one apparatus have its sensitized layer turned away from the objective or the picture must be reversed by other known means, for example a prism.

The reflecting parts of the through-sight mirror surface of mirror 7 must be covered by a rearwardly disposed black lining. This is effected by masks l0 and 11 which must be so positioned that they are respectively out of the sight cone of the other apparatus. These masks are preferably arranged on glass plates 12 (Figs. 6 and 7) and the inner silhouette 13 of the mask 10 coincides as to its shape with the outer silhouette 14 of mask 11. The masks and silhouettes must.

in the same degree as their distance from the mirror increases be larger as the picture section on the mirror 7 is appearing. If the masks 10 and 11 are positioned at different distances from the mirror 7 their sizes and silhouette changes in the same proportion as the distantly disposed mask for the mirror increases orv decreases.

According to Fig. 2 the mirror 7 is arranged on a standard 15 and the masks 10 and 11 are arranged on standards 16 and 17. Since however the floor of the taking studio is never so solid as to give a guarantee against vibrations of the floor it is preferable to unite the masks 10 and 11. with the mirror 7 and to arrange them on a single common standard. This standard is preferably provided with special carrying devices for the apparatuses 3 and 4 so that the apparatuses, the mirror 7 and the masks 10 and 11 are forming an integral unit which eliminates any mutual shifting or displacement of theindividual part.

Fig. 4 is illustrating an arrangement where the mirror 7 is combined with the masks 10 and 11. Between the two plates 18 and 19 which can be connected with each other in any suitable way the mirror 7 is carried by grooves 20. The plates 18'and 19 are further provided with grooves 21 receiving the glass lates 12 carrying the masks 10 and 11. T e glass plates 12 are preferably provided with the frame22 whereby they can be easily displaced. This body comprising the mirror 7, the plates 18 and 19, and the mask plates constitutes a unitary structure. The lower late 19 is at its center provided with a guid ng member 23 engaging with its prism-shaped edges a turning member 24 and can be-movcd by a spindle 25 and nut 26. The member 24 is carried with a circular lug '27 in a socket 28 and is held therein against lifting by a screw 29 screwed into the base member 28. The base member 28 is guided on a bracket 30 and can be laterall adjusted by a spindle 31 having a ban e 32 and being in threaded engagement with a nut 33. The bracket 30 can be vertically adjusted by engaging with vertical parallel guides 34 corresponding to noiiiillustrated guides of a stationary standar The member 24 is provided with a worm gearing 35 meshing with the worm 36 havmg its bearing 37 on the base member 28 and rotatable by means-of a nonillustrated handle. By means of this arrangement the mirror 7 and the masks 10 and 11 can exactly be adjusted around a vertical axis.

The above described adjusting device carrying the mirror 7 and the masks 10 and 11 can in the same construction also be used for anyone of the apparatuses 3 and 4 which in this'instance-can be guided also on the same standard as the bracket 30. All of the parts 3, 4, 7, 10, and 11 may then be carried by the same standard or frame whereby relative movements of the individual parts due to vibrations are successfully prevented. This is of particular importance if the parts arearranged in close proximity.

' In order that different parts of the scenes land 2 can be taken it is frequently necessary that these parts can easily be changed during the taking, which can the.most easily be obtained by a displacement or shift of the 'masks 10 and 11, provided that the shifting of a mask 10 results 'in the simultaneous shifting-of the mask 11 in the same direction. An arrangement permitting to make use of this idea is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. At this embodiment the frame 22 of each mask is provided with a stud 39 upwardlyextending through slots 38 of the plate 18. This stud 39 engages with a rope 41 guided in crossed ath by rollers 40 and thus producingat the shifting of one mask an exactly alike shifting of the other mask.

A modification of the silhouettes 14 on the rather simp e way by superimposing on a glass plate 12 two identical or complementary masks 10 and 11 and effecting a modifi- 13 and late 12 can'be obtained inv a cation of the silhouettes 13 and 14 by a relative displacement of the masks of one late." Obviously the modification of a. silouette -13 requires the same modification of carrying the mirror foil as silhouettes by f-from'a nonillustrated drum in the direcinactinic complementary blindings or coverings corresponding to the masks 10 and 11.

In this instance the mirror must be movable in exactly the same way as the masks 10 and 11, which can be obtained by. a special arrangement corresponding to that of Fi 5. c

If only the two scenes 1 and 2 are, f0l owing theirsizes, to be taken-with objectives of different focus on two film tapes complementing themselves to a picture, the semitransparent mirror 7 is only used for the exact adjustment of the individual parts and for the pictural adaptation or interfitment or the impermeable mirror reflecting to both sides. and provided with blindings is used instead thereof and removed after ad-' justment and before the taking operation. The apparatuses 3 and 4 are if necessary positioned at different distances .from the mirror according to their focus. In this instance the mirror must not be necessarily semi-transparent, one can also use an ordinary mirror reflecting to both s des without departing from the-nature of this invention.

If combination takings are in consideration a positive film must be produced by a copying process from the two separately taken films. In .order to avoid the "oint copyin the taking film can be passe d1- rectly om one apparatus 3 to the other a paratus 4 during thg taking operation. T e action wilLthen be imely separated in both apparatuses by some ictures which however is irrelevantfor t e totalpicture: In

order to 'limit'the timely separation of the takings to a possibly small degreeone can also unite two apparatuses into one c'ommon apparatus as this is shown. in,F1gs. 3, 8 d 9.

According to Fig. 3 I arrange between the two scenes 42 and 43 the mirror 45 carried by standards 44 and completely corresponding to the mirror 7 of Fig. 2. The taking apparatus has two objections 46 and 47 of which objective 46" is directly taking the scene 42 by reflection whereas the objective 47 is indirectly taking the scene 43 by the intermediary of the mirrors 50 and 51 carried by standards '48 and 49. The arrangement of the mirrors can also be the same as illustrated inand described with regard to -Fi' 2, 4oand 5. I

'Ilxefilm tape52 (Fig. 8) must be so ided that the objective 46 exposes the film f i om' the front side and the objective 47 from'the. back side. The film tape arrives tion of the arrow 53 and passes over a. roller 54" to the picture window of the camera 55 is running over a feeding roller 56 to a guiding roller 57 and then with a deflection of 90 to the roller 58 arranged at 90 to the roller 57. From this roller '58 the tape 52 is passing over a roller 59 to the camera 60 of objective 47 and fromhere over a feeding roller 61 in the direction of arrow 62 to the nonillustrated on winding drum. The two feeding rollers 56 and 61 are actuated by the intermediary'of Worm gears 68 and 64 from a common shaft 65 having a handle 66 or other suitable opera-ting device. I

In Fig. 9 the gears 63 and 64 of the two rollersv56 and 61 are illustrated indifl'erent size. The numbers of revolutions in the time unit are however alike because for any roller the corresponding pair of gears 63 and 64 is of the same size. It was only necessary to give to the gears 63 and'64 for both rollers 56 and 61 different sizes because the two rollers 56 and 61 are somewhat superimposed. Preferably the two cameras 55 and 60 are What I claim as my invention is 1. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures ofcomplementary sets'or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axes thereof located at an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a reflecting surface arranged at the intersectionand' disposed between one of the sets or scenes and a camera so that an image of one of the scenes may be reflected into-one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly b the other camera; and a complementary mask eliminating portion of a set or scene and dis posed between a set or scene and the reflectlng surface.

2. An apparatus for taking composition motion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having 1 section and located between a set orscene and a camera so that an image of one of the scenes may be reflect 2d into one camera while the other scene may be photographed dirct- 1y by the other camera, a mask for eliminating a portion of one set or scene and a second mask for eliminating a'portion of the other set or scene,- each mask being disposed between the semi-transparent mirror and a camera. i

3. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures of complementary sets 01' scenes comprising a pair of ofthe objective 46. From here the film tape 6 combined in a box 67 receiving all of the -roller guiding means and film spools.

eras having the a axes thereof located atan angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a semi-transparent mirror arranged at the intersection and located between a camera and a set or scene so that an image of one of the sets or ent mirror arranged at the intersection and located between acamera and a set or scene so that an image of one of the sets or scenes may be reflected into one camerawhile the other scene may be photographed directly by the. other camera, and a mask located between each scene and the mirror, one mask being complementary to the other mask, and means for moving the masks relative to the mirrors.

5. An apparatus for taking composlte mo-,

tion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axes thereof located at an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a semi-transparent, mirror arranged at the intersection and located between a camera and a set or scene so that an image of one of the scenes may be reflected'into one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly by the other camera, a mask located between each scene and the mirror, one mask being complementary to the other mask, and meansfor supporting the mirrors and masks.

6. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axes thereof located at. an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a reflecting surface arranged at the intersection and located between a camera and a. set or scene so that an image of one of the scenes.

maybe reflected into one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly by the other camera, a mask located between each scene. and the mirror, one mask being complementary to the other mask, means for moving the mirrors and masks relative to the cameras. and means for moving the masks relative to each other.

7. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axes thereof located at an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a reflecting surface arrangedv at the intersection and located between a cameraand a'sct or scene so that an image of one of the scenes 7 may be reflected into one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly by the other camera, a mask located between each scene and the mirror, one mask being complementary tothe other mask, and means for moving the masks in synchronism relative to the mirror.

,8. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axesthereof located at an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a reflecting surface arranged at the intersection and located between a camera and a set or scene so that an image of one of the scenes may be reflected into one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly by the other camera, a mask located between each scene and the mirror, one mask being complementary to the other mask,,a frame for supporting the mirror and masks as a unit, means for moving the frame horizontally, and means for moving the masks in synchronism in the frame and relative to the mirror.

9. An apparatus for taking composite motion pictures of complementary sets or scenes comprising a pair of cameras having the axes therrof located at an angle to each other with the axes intersecting, and a refleeting surface arranged at the intersection and located between a camera and a set or scene so thatan'image of one of the scenes may be reflected into one camera while the other scene may be photographed directly by theother camera, a mask located between each scene and the mirror, one mask being complementary to the other mask, a frame for supporting the mirror-and masks as a unit, means for moving the frame horizontally, and means for rotating the frame, and means for, adjusting the frame vertically.

10. The method of producing composite motion pictures in separate stages of a set or scene and a second set complementary to the first set which comprises arranging a pair of cameras so that their optical axes will be at an angle to each other and a combined light transmitting and reflecting memher at the intersection of the optical axes of the cameras, the reilrcting member being located between a set or scene and a camera, forming an image of a portion of one set or scene on a portion of a frame in one camera directly through the light transmitting portion and indirectly forming an image on the second set or scene in the second camera 011 the unexposed portion of the same frame by the reflected image of the second set 01: scene, while masking complementary portions of the sets or scenes and blending the meeting edges of the, images formed on the frame into each other.

.In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

EUGEN SCHUFFTAN.

Ill 

